WHO issues major update over new hantavirus case in Europe | World | News
The number of Hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship at the center of the outbreak has risen to 13, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. The Spanish Ministry of Health has confirmed that a Spanish national who evacuated the MV Hondius cruise ship is currently in isolation in a hospital in Madrid.
Following confirmation of the case, the patient was transferred to the hospital’s High Level Isolation Unit (UATAN) where he remained under specialist medical supervision. “Spain reported a new case among quarantined passengers, bringing the total number of cases to 13,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his post on X. he said. According to Ghebreyesus, 3 people died, but no new deaths have been reported since May 2.
Ghebreyesus said, “The situation remains stable. Passengers who get sick receive the necessary care while others remain in quarantine.” he said.
Over the past two weeks, all remaining passengers, crew members and medical staff have disembarked the luxury cruise ship at the center of the outbreak.
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that can infect humans and cause diseases. The World Health Organization estimates there are 10,000 to 100,000 human cases worldwide each year, and severity varies by type.
Twenty-nine passengers abandoned the ship at Saint Helena before the outbreak was detected. Among them was 69-year-old Miriam Schilperoord, the wife of patient zero.
When he reached South Africa, he was too ill to board the KLM flight and later died.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal virus. illnessIt is usually transmitted to humans through exposure to the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents.
Symptoms usually begin to appear 1 to 8 weeks after exposure to infected rodents; Many countries monitor passengers for at least 42 days from the day they disembark the ship.
Symptoms begin suddenly and can feel like a flu-like illness. Other early symptoms include headache, chills, dizziness, and many develop abdominal pain or gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
There is no specific treatment, drug or vaccine for the virus, treatment depends on early diagnosis and patients need to receive intensive supportive care while their immune system fights the disease.
